Hicksville, N.Y. -- Foot Locker was the most tweeted about brand with over 50,000 posts, according to GenSent Insights’ 2013 report on Sporting Goods and Outdoor Retailers. This was more than twice the number of tweets the next closest competitors, Dicks Sporting Goods and REI (generated with just under 20,000 posts each.

The chain also maintained a steady stream of twitter mentions by officially sponsoring the NBA’s Foot Locker Three-Point Contest,” congratulating Carmelo Anthony on winning the NBA scoring title, conducting an online poll on whether Michigan or Louisville will win the NCAA championship and announcing the releases and availability of the new Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James shoes.

The leading brands in Online Impact Media Value, a measure of a brand’s online reach, were REI with $3.8 million, followed by Foot Locker at $3.4 million, Dicks Sporting Goods with $2.3 million and Sports Authority at $1.8 million. However, REI’s ranking is skewed by the publicity generated from the appointment of its CEO, Sally Jewell, to Secretary of the Interior by President Obama. The announcement of the nomination alone resulted in over 9,800 online mentions generating $1.8 million of media value in just two days. Over 90% of Foot Locker’s media value was driven by its extensive following on twitter while Dicks Sporting Goods benefited from a steady flow of online chatter from its 520 stores and broad range of products.

In other findings:

Cabela’s collaboration with country singer, Luke Bryan, increased twitter traffic by up to eight times its daily average during joint promotions.

Sports Authority’s ownership of the naming rights to the stadium for the Denver Broncos (Sports Authority Field at Mile High) helped online mentions rise almost seven fold and generated over $535,000 in media value during the Broncos vs. Ravens playoff game in January.

Bass Pro Shops saw online mentions rise almost 10 times its daily average when the stars of the hit cable show Duck Dynasty visited a store during its April 3 episode.

“The combination of Twitter and celebrities or professional athletes provides a natural opportunity to drive online buzz. From promotions to simple congratulatory tweets, the increase in conversations can significantly impact a brands media value, Additionally, associations with professional sports brands can often create ancillary opportunities to be part of the conversation,” said Don Damore, of GenSent Insights.